Season 11's American Idol Top 6 Perform

This week our favorite Top 6 American Idol singers performed songs from Queen as well as songs that meant a lot to them. The competition is getting stiffer week after week and this is what I thought about tonight's performances:

Round 1:
Jessica Sanchez sings "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Top notes were all flat and agree with J.Lo that she needed to rock out more. When she sang the big parts she sounded great.. just needs to work on consistency!

Skylar Laine sings "The Show Must Go On" - I love her! She needed to show off her high notes and she truly nailed it! She has such great range, perfect pitch and excellent emotion!

Joshua Ledet sings "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Great vocals! I love the attitude, the timing, the melodic choices and the style! Flawless and very classy!

Elise Testone sings "I Want It All" - Shakey introduction...but after she warmed up she really opened up. Some of her notes were just incredible. I agree with the judges that she was truly in her element with this song choice!

Phillip Phillips sings "Fat Bottomed Girls" - The popping vein on his forehead is really distracting.. Anyway, this was a great song choice for him but I'm honestly bored with this dude. I enjoy the character behind his voice but feel like we have seen and heard everything.

Hollie Cavanagh sings "Save Me" - I didn't really believe her performance. Her voice is absolutely beautiful but she lacked the confidence and emotion that you need to be a great performer. She was good but maybe not good enough.


Round 2:
Jessica Sanchez sings "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross - So beautiful, so believable and so well done! This was a safe and easy song choice for her because it was right in her element. It was very tender and not over the top. Jessica saved herself from her last performance. =)

Skylar Laine sings "Tattoos On This Town" by Jason Aldean - I love when she plays the guitar! It was also a safe song choice, but it was great to hear her sing a country song because she just sings it well. I also loved that she showcased her range some more.

Joshua Ledet sings "Ready To Love" by india.aire - Beautiful song choice and wonderful, emotional delivery! I wish he wouldn't scream in every song but he gave us an awesome ending! That run at the end was phenomenal but do the judges have to give him a standing ovation EVERY time?!

Elise Testone sings "Bold As Love" by Jimmy Hendrix - Awesome job! I love her runs! She is so musically sophisticated, gave us great style, an awesome scat and just truly, in J.Lo's words, "slayed" that song. And I don't agree with Randy AT ALL! She did great!

Phillip Phillips sings "#41" by Dave Matthews Band - Very obscure and kinda kitschy. I loved the instrumentation and felt like he sounded great. However, if you close your eyes it sounds too much like Dave Matthews.. He might not be safe this week.

Hollie Cavanagh sings "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus - Her first standing ovation from the judges! This song fits her like a glove! Those top notes were perfect and she did a great job holding back and pushing forward when it was needed. Nice job!


Tonight's performances were awesome, but I truly missed watching the coaching sessions with Jimmy Iovine. Its fascinating to watch their transformations in the studio and I love hearing what Jimmy has to say about each performer. I also didn't like that the songs and performers were not introduced before each performance. What was up with that!? It left me wondering what the songs were called and I actually had to google some of the more obscure choices! All in all, the performances were really solid and its anyone's game at this point.

My predictions:
Top 3 - Jessica, Skylar and Joshua
Bottom 3 - Hollie, Elise and Phillip

Elise should be safe and we might say goodbye to Hollie or Phillip.. What do you all think!?

Season 11 American Idol: Goodbye Colton Dixon

Tonight we witnessed Season 11's Top 7 American Idol performers sit on pins and needles as Ryan Seacrest unveiled this week's verdict. Wow - what an exciting elimination! With Jessica Sanchez being at the bottom last week and the intensity of the competition getting stronger, it was really going to be a toss up as to who would go home tonight...

Tonight, consequently, we said goodbye to rocker Colton Dixon:

Throughout this competition, Colton has delivered solid performances. His cool indie rocker style and sexy falsetto have left him safe week after week. I agree that he may not have been this season's best vocalist, but the boy has talent. I admire his ability to completely arrange songs with his unique flavor. He is more of an artist and songwriter. He reminds me of the rock band Muse.

I believe that Colton will be American Idol's next Daughtry. Give this boy a couple of months and he will be signed to a record label and fronting his own band... American Idol was just a stepping stone for him.

Best of luck to you Colton!

And so now there were 6... looking forward to next week!

American Idol Top 7 Perform Songs from Then & Now

Here is a recap of this week's Top 7 American Idol Performances as the singers interpret songs from Then & Now...

Hollie Cavanagh sings "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele - Extremely risky as NO ONE should ever sing this song unless you are Adele. But I honestly feel like she really nailed it. The voice was strong and powerful and her delivery was sassy and heartfelt. You go girl!

Then - "Son of A Preacher Man" - Sounded great but was missing the dynamic contrast. However, she gave the BEST last note of the night... 2 weeks in a row ;)



Colton Dixon sings "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga - Awesome arrangement! I love the half time chorus and the bridge sounded pretty sexy! Colton is consistent and has great style.

Then - Earth, Wind & Fire sings "September" - Love this arrangement yet again! Colton may not have the best voice but can arguably create the best arrangements of songs week after week! Not sure if he will be save because the other singers really brought it this year!


Elise Testone sings "No One" by Alicia Keys - I loved the melodic choices during the intro of the song. However, it needed to be a little bit sweeter than what she delivered. Overall, not the best song choice for what she could potentially do.

Then - "Lets Get it On" by Marvin Gaye - Very cool sexy, jazzy interpretation. It is clear that she is very musically sophisticated, so why does she lack the fan base that others so naturally have? She is a true professional but fear that she is going home next.


Phillips Phillips sings "You Got it Bad" by Usher - Really nice arrangement and interpretation of this classic Usher song. Still needed to show more range and dynamics, but loved the style.

Then "Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett - Same performance again. This dude is talented but I've heard him sing literally the same song every week. Maybe he is too much of an individual and just can't help being "himself." Hmmm... luckily it picked up during the end of the song, but is it enough? Not sure if it is....


Jessica Sanchez "Fallin" by Alicia Keys - Safe song choice but she delivered it very well. Effortless, flawless and amazing. Girl has talent, style and charisma when she sings. She is ready to go.

Then "Try A Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding - NICE! This girly has so much control, power and style. She truly made this song her own - best performance of the night!


Skylar Laine sings "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga - LOVED the country interpretation. Excellent reharm, growl and stylization! She is an awesome performer!

Then "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye - Not sure if it there was too much melodic freedom, but I loved her ability to take this classic R&B tune and transform it into a modern country arrangement. Consistent, solid and "brilliant" as Randy said. ;)


Joshua Ledet sings "I Believe" by Joshua Ledet - I loved that he showcased his lower register and gave us a little bit less of his signature shriek. We know you can blow and I'm glad that you showed us just a little bit of restraint!

Then "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke -  Amazing, but I was honestly a little bit bored. Too much screaming for my taste. I am not sure how big of a disconnect there was between the live performance and the national broadcast because I am questioning the judges' standing ovation...


Overall, the talent is extremely impressive this year. I can honestly say that every single one of these performers deserve record deals that will propel them into successful careers in the music industry. Joshua is the next gospel star, Colton needs to front a rock band, Phillip is straight up ready to take over the indie/acoustic rock scene, Jessica is going to rule Top 40, Hollie could make it big on Broadway, Skylar is going to be the next country music sensation and Elise is gonna tear it up as a jazz/blues singer/songwriter. I've never been so passionate about the group that we have this year....its going to be difficult to say goodbye to someone tomorrow!

But honestly, I'm thinking our girl Elise will be going home. Thankfully, she will do well because she actually has experience and education and is just probably not gonna win this competition...

What do you think?!

American Idol Season 11 - Top 7 Perform Songs from This Decade

Tonight we watched Season 11's Top 7 American Idols compete and sing their favorite songs from "this decade." Special guest mentor Akon joined the show's resident critic Jimmy Iovine to coach our singers before they hit the stage. This is a quick recap of tonight's performances:

1- Skylar Laine sings "Didn't Know How Much You Love Me" by Kellie Pickler - Another stellar performance! Choosing this country ballad was absolutely brilliant.. She played to her strengths, showcased her range and gave us that power and conviction that we needed. And she even threw in her little guitar! So cute and SO talented! Love this girl. =)

2- Colton Dixon sings "Love the Way You Lie" by Skylar Grey - Beautiful but boring. The only part of the song that captivated me was the bridge but I felt like he could have relished in that moment for just a little bit longer. However, he gave us a great falsetto and excellent arrangement.

3- Jessica Sanchez sings "Stuttering" by Jasmine Sullivan - This diva delivered an incredible rendition of this unknown song. What could have turned out to be risky song choice, ended up being brilliant. We know that she has power and range, but now we know that she has incredible style. Beautifully done!

4- Joshua Ledet sings "Runaway Bride" by Bruno Mars - Great song choice.. loved how he added his special Joshua style and flavor to his performance. SO much power, control and passion. Like Steven Tyler said, he did a great job "selling" the song. His track record is quite possibly the most solid out of everybody else in this year's competition.


5- Hollie Cavanagh sings "Perfect" by Pink - The introduction was shakey...yet again. The key should have been brought up a half step because the low notes on the verses were way off. Her voice is incredible, but its sad that she lacks any emotion when she sings. But that high note at the end was frickin awesome. The girl just needs to keep singing; she has a lot of potential. ;)

Well.. it turns out that my DVR decided to stop recording during Hollie's judges critique and unfortunately I will not have a completed critique until tomorrow morning when the youtube videos will be posted.

WILL UPDATE SOON!

(ahhh... technology!?!)

Happy Easter - Handel's Messiah "Hallelujah" Sing Along

Happy Easter everyone! Today is a joyous day and what better way than to celebrate with the gifts that we have been blessed with... music! Here is an awesome video of the "Hallelujah" chorus from G.F. Handel's Messiah... complete with the sheet music to follow and sing along!



Handel composed this work in a very short time during the summer of 1741. It is said that when he got to the Hallelujah chorus, Handel was found in tears saying “I did think I saw heaven open, and saw the very face of God."  


Music and singing is the best way we can celebrate and affirm our faiths and beliefs... no matter what they are!! 


HAPPY EASTER!

Goodbye DeAndre Brackensick - American Idol Season 11 Top 8 Elimination

This week our Top 8 American Idol singers paid tribute to my favorite decade ever... the 80s. As each week progresses, the performers continue to unravel their voices, hearts and souls in front of America. Each week however, another one will be forced to bite the dust as the competition gets tougher and tougher.

This week we said Goodbye to lion-maned teenage heartthrob, DeAndre Brackensick:


Although the judges panel continued to rave about DeAndre's signature falsetto vocals week after week, I was never a huge fan of his singing. Granted, the young singer has definitely showed some improvement with his vocal control, melodic interpretation and overall stage presence. But as Jimmy Iovine pointed out today in his critique, his improvements are merely marginal compared to the leaps and bounds that the other competitors are experiencing.

DeAndre is a special singer. He is undoubtedly unique and can do really well if he stays within his niche. He's a handsome young man with great style and marketability. He can reach great amounts of potential if he chooses wisely after this show ends.

I agree it was his time to go and wish DeAndre the best of luck!

What do you think???

American Idol Season 11 - Top 8 Perform

It's 80s night for Season 11's American Idol Top 8 performers! This week the singers were mentored by Jimmy Iovine and No Doubt's frontwoman Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kanal. Here is a recap of this week's performances:

1- DeAndre Brackensick sings "I Like It" by Debarge - I am not a huge DeAndre fan, but can admit that this was one of his strongest performances. I enjoyed listening to him sing with his real voice as opposed to his falsetto. Stage presence and pitch are getting a lot better, too. He is definitely responding well to the vocal coaching that he is getting backstage. Still not my favorite, but can respect his growth!

2- Elise Testone sings "I Wanna Know What Love Is" by Foreigner - Elise's vocals are always solid; she is a consistent performer with undeniable talent. This week, however, she failed to deliver anything special. As the competition gets tougher every week, these singers are going to need to dig deep and perform creatively. The key change was iffy and the melodic choices were not as strong as the ones she has made in the past. Sorry, Elise - you may be in trouble!

3- Phillip Phillips sings "That's All" by Genesis - Great song choice and yet another solid performance to add to his track record. It was a little screamy for my taste but I totally loved the arrangement of the tune. Not sure if Phillip is an American Idol, but definitely an artist that I am starting to respect. This guy is crawling his way to the top!

4- Joshua Ledet sings "If You Don't Know Me By Now" by Simply Red-  This was a perfect song choice for him. I especially enjoyed the adlib towards the end of the song. It not only showcased his powerhouse vocals but demonstrated his amazing melodic choices. Very natural, very heartfelt and overall, awesome job!

5- Jessica Sanchez sings "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston - Jessica needs a little help when it comes to properly executing uptempo songs. Her voice is big, bright and powerful, however she needs a lesson or two on rhythm and time feel. Some of her lower notes in the verses got lost and lacked the necessary breath support and execution. However, this young diva is very talented and will most likely be safe.

6- Hollie Cavanagh sings "What A Feeling" from Flashdance - Another awful outfit choice, by the way. BUT anyway, the verses needed a little bit more support as her lower notes were a little shakey. Her voice is undoubtedly strong and beautiful, but she needs to relax and allow herself to connect to her performances. I also agree with Steven.. her pitch was all over the place. She is a loud, slightly robotic Diva in Training. Relax, girly!

7- Colton Dixon sings "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper - I truly enjoyed Colton's rendition of this classic 80s tune. The 80s was such an awesome decade and he did a wonderful time transforming this 80s anthem into a modern, rock song. Vocally, I felt like he could have pushed the dynamics and given us a little bit more of that power and adlib towards the end. Great stage presence, too!

8- Skylar Laine sings "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Celine Dion - Beautiful tone and control. It was wonderful to hear Skylar perform a ballad with such emotion and conviction. That key change showcased her range beautifully. This was the exact performance that she needed to have! Great job girl!

Tonight did not showcase the group's talents to their fullest potential. Perhaps its the pressure, the fatigue and the uncertainty that comes with a competition of this caliber. I felt like Skylar and DeAndre really put their best feet forward. Phillip and Colton continued to be solid and will glide through another week of safety. Jessica and Joshua performed a beautiful duet and will continue to be at the top. And finally, Elise and Hollie are who will most likely be in trouble.

What do you think???

The Voice - Chris Mann Performs "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

During last night's Live Performances on NBC's The Voice, we watched 12 finalists from each team perform live for America. My favorite performance of the night was definitely Chris Mann's rendition of the classic Simon & Garfunkel tune, "Bridge Over Troubled Water."



I respect his crisp classical vocal technique along with the stylizations that he added to his phrasing. Although he added adlibs and riffs, it was still simple and heartfelt. His power and clarity of tone is just gorgeous. I was carried away by his voice. His performance literally brought tears to my eyes and lifted my spirits up in a way that was inspiring and motivational.

His voice is in my opinion "The Voice" that we are looking for. However, it is clear that he is a very talented balladeer, and I am weary to see how he can fit his powerful voice into an uptempo song.

Best performance of the night.. looking forward to hearing more.

Don't forget to catch the show's first Live Eliminations tonight at 9pm!

Who should stay? Who should go home?